As I mentioned last week, my ZTE Axon 7 has just received Android 7.0 Nougat, which also unlocked Google Daydream VR. I wasn’t able to pick up Google’s VR headset at the time, but now I can, so I did, and I spent a couple of hours messing around with it.

First, I have to say I am very glad that Google made one headset (and controller) that works with all Daydream-compatible phones. That wasn’t entirely clear when I ordered my Axon 7 last summer, and I feared it would lead to a lot of waiting for my OEM to release a specific headset that may or may not be as good as any another vendor’s, especially sight unseen. I don’t really know how they properly align the screens, across all possible phones and accounting for user-error, but it seems to accept my phone perfectly without really any fiddling. Maybe it’s a simpler problem than I am envisioning, but, either way, the one viewer works with my ZTE Axon 7 -- it’s not just for the Pixel.

My second point is that the phone gets very hot, very quick. I’m sure ZTE knows about this, and the phone is designed around it, but it doesn’t just get warm, it borders on hot-to-the-touch at times. To be safe, I’m removing the case each time I insert it into the Daydream View, although the device seems to work either way. The battery does drain quickly, relative to other workloads, but a single, hour-or-so VR sitting took about 25% off (~75% remaining). Despite the heat and the quick battery drain, you will probably be done with a VR sitting before the device is, so I consider those aspects to be all-around positive.

As for the YouTube app, I’m glad that the virtual screen for standard video can be adjusted in pretty much any way. You can make it bigger or smaller with the track pad, pull it in any direction with motion controls, and adjust whether it’s flat or curved (so all points are equidistant) in the settings. If you want to lay on your back in bed and watch movies “on the ceiling”, then you can... and without holding the phone over your face while your arms go numb.

Yes, I’m speaking from experience.

As for games? Eh... about the only thing that caught my eye is maybe “Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes”. I’m pleasantly surprised it’s there, but it’s about the only thing that is. I knew there wasn’t a whole lot of apps, and that’s fine for me, but you probably shouldn’t get too excited outside of video.

Also, it’d be nice to see Google Chrome in VR. Get on that, Google! A virtual void would make a good place to keep my many, many tabs. It will apparently support WebVR content very soon, but in a “browse, click the Daydream button, mount it in the View, and put it on your head, then undo all that when you’re done” sort of way. It’d be nice to just... stay in the headset to browse.

Anywho, I have it, and those are my thoughts. It’s early, but it seems to work pretty well. I haven’t tried an Oculus Rift or an HTC Vive yet, though, so I can’t make any comparisons there.

Well that was quick. About two weeks ago, we reported on ZTE Mobile Deutschland’s Facebook post that said Android 7.0 would miss January, but arrive some time in Q1. For North America, that apparently means the second week of February, because my device was just notified, about an hour ago, that A2017UV1.1.0B15 was available for over-the-air update. It just finished installing.

In my case, I needed to hold the on button a few times to get the phone to boot into the second stage of installation, but ZTE mentions it in the pre-install notes, so that’s good. Then, when the phone moved on to the new lock screen, my fingerprint reader didn’t work until after I typed in the lock screen password. I’m not sure why the phone didn’t accept the fingerprint reader until after I successfully logged in, especially since it used the fingerprints on file from Android 6.0, I didn’t need to set it up again, but it’s a small inconvenience. Just don’t perform the update if you can’t access your password manager and you don’t remember the unlock code off the top of your head.

While I don’t have a Daydream VR headset, I’ll probably pick one up soon and give it a test. The Daydream app is installed on the device, though, so you can finally enjoy Android-based VR content if you pick one up.

If your phone hasn’t alerted you yet, find your unlock password and check for updates in the settings app.

Lenovo has announced a trio of new ThinkPad mobile workstations, featuring updated Intel 7th-generation Core (Kaby Lake) processors and NVIDIA Quadro graphics, and among these is the thinnest and lightest ThinkPad mobile workstation to date in the P51s.

"Engineered to deliver breakthrough levels of performance, reliability and long battery life, the ThinkPad P51s features a new chassis, designed to meet customer demands for a powerful but portable machine. Developed with engineers and professional designers in mind, this mobile workstation features Intel’s 7th generation Core i7 processors and the latest NVIDIA Quadro dedicated workstation graphics, as well as a 4K UHD IPS display with optional IR camera."

Lenovo says that the ThinkPad P51s is more than a half pound lighter than the previous generation (P50s), stating that "the P51s is the lightest and thinnest mobile workstation ever developed by ThinkPad" at 14.4 x 9.95 x 0.79 inches, and weight starting at 4.3 lbs.

Lenovo also announced the ThinkPad P51, which is slightly larger than the P51s, but brings the option of Intel Xeon E3-v6 processors (in addition to Kaby Lake Core i7 CPUs), Quadro M2200M graphics, faster 2400 MHz memory up to 64 GB (4x SODIMM slots), and up to a 4K IPS display with X-Rite Pantone color calibration.

Finally there is the new VR-ready P71 mobile workstation, which offers up to an NVIDIA Quadro P5000M GPU along with Oculus and HTC VR certification.

"Lenovo is also bringing virtual reality to life with the new ThinkPad P71. One of the most talked about technologies today, VR has the ability to bring a new visual perspective and immersive experience to our customers’ workflow. In our new P71, the NVIDIA Pascal-based Quadro GPUs offer a stunning level of performance never before seen in a mobile workstation, and it comes equipped with full Oculus and HTC certifications, along with NVIDIA’s VR-ready certification."

The German offices of ZTE Mobile have announced (via their Facebook page) that the Android 7.0 update will be coming later in this quarter, which would be before the end of March. In November, this branch announced that the update would be coming in January. This update is supposed to bring Daydream to the handset, as this was one of the big promises that ZTE made about the device before it launched. They are not confident with it in its current state, though.

Our readers were asking about my opinion of the device, since I published a “Just Delivered” post about it four months ago. I said that I would wait until the Nougat release, which I was, at the time, expecting in October or November, because I had a feeling that ZTE envisioned the phone with that OS version. Since then, bugs have come and gone, most of which were relatively benign, like messing up whitespace in the lock screen’s current date. Personally, I started getting a bug where my camera would occasionally fail to focus, instead humming and blurring like it’s focusing in and out tens or hundreds of times per second until you close the app using the camera. (It started happening, off and on, just after the last service update, although it could just be a coincidental hardware issue with my unit. I’m waiting until I see it in Nougat to call customer support.)

Either way, it’s probably a good thing that ZTE is taking their time with this one. I’m guessing this update is when those who adopted the Axon 7 will begin to solidify judgments about the company as a higher-end phone vendor going forward.

MSI takes their Dominator series of laptops seriously and the new Kaby Lake model is no exception. The GSYNC IPS display is natively 4k and the 8GB GTX 1070 should drive it at 60Hz without issue, or you could skip the monitor and go straight to VR as the required ports are present. The CPU is an i7-7820HK, with 32GB of DDR4-2400 in a dual channel configuration and Samsung provided an M.2 500GB SSD rated at 540MB/s read, 520MBs write, with a 1TB HDD for extra storage. It weighs in at almost 3kg (6.4lbs) so it is not as heavy as you might expect, though the 230W power adapter may add a few straws to that load. eTeknix tired it out to see how effective it was at replacing a gaming desktop, you can see the results and photos of the internals right here.

"MSI’s gaming laptops have gained a special status for their gorgeous sense of style and astounding features. It’s no surprise that the latest data puts their firmly in the lead as the world’s most successful gaming laptop manufacturer. Honestly, it’s thoroughly deserved and I’m pleased to see the MSI pushing the technical envelope further and making laptops a true alternative to traditional desktops."

One of the disadvantages of the ZTE Axon 7, which a lot of other phones share, is that you cannot directly connect it to a TV over HDMI via MHL. Granted, it’s a good screen and great speakers, so I can just pass the device around, but sometimes you want to show a video (or something) on the TV. As such, I was looking around at the Chromecast, but I heard a bunch of complaints that ranged from low frame rate to frequent stutters in some apps.

Then Google announced the Chromecast Ultra, which launched in November. I put my email address on the official waiting list and... haven’t heard a thing since. I also haven’t seen it in many stores. I then found out that the local Best Buy Mobile kiosk had it (yet the full store a few blocks away somehow did not???) Interestingly, when I arrived, they had several of them, and on sale for $20 off, too.

Upon bringing it home, it had a little difficulty connecting to my WiFi router. (The 5 GHz band was a little weak at that location.) Once that was resolved, though, it was a very pleasant experience. It played 1080p60 video from YouTube without any trouble, even switching to the correct input automatically with HDMI CEC (although I needed to manually change it back to the digital TV box when I was done).

I don’t have a 4K or HDR TV, though, so I cannot test its more advanced features. Sorry!

NVIDIA no longer adds an 'm' after this generations mobile parts, the GTX 1070 in this gaming laptop from Gigabyte is simply labelled GTX 1070 even though it's boost clock of 1645MHz is somewhat lower than the reference of 1683MHz. A 256GB Transcend MTS800 M.2 SATA SSD gives your OS and programs somewhere to live while the 1TB Hitachi Travelstar 7K1000 provides data storage and believe it or not this laptop also comes with a DVD-RW drive.

The slightly lower clock still provides enough performance for the integral 1080p display, and will power a VR headset over the USB 3.0 Type-A and HDMI 2.0 ports. The Tech Report;s testing shows performance that tends to fall between the desktop GTX 1060 and 1070 which is not terribly surprising. Check out their full review here.

"Powered by Nvidia's mobile GeForce GTX 1070, Gigabyte's P57X v6 laptop promises truly desktop-class desktop-class performance in a relatively compact and portable chassis. We put it to the test to see what a new generation of mobile graphics means for gamers on the go."

Gigabyte had a full line of new laptops to show off at this year’s CES, with models ranging from larger gaming enthusiast designs to slim machines that still offer plenty of gaming power from their discrete graphics.

“The P56 provides enthusiasts with not only ultra smooth performance but also with tools to victory. All packed in a portable quality chassis. Equipped with the next gen Intel 7th Gen Core i7 7700HQ processor and the all-powerful GeForce GTX 1070 graphics. The main core of the P56 is set to drive all the latest games, not at just 1080P but even at higher resolutions with the optional 15.6” UHD 3840x2160 display.”

The P56 is equipped with a Thunderbolt 3 port, island-style keyboard with customizable per-key RGB backlighting, and a large 91Wh battery.

Next we have the Sabre 15, which is also powered by a new 7th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4GB) and GTX 1050 (2GB) graphics options.

“Gamers can now fully enjoy the latest performance from the pascal architecture, with fluid gaming graphics at 1080p for most recent game titles. The keyboard plays a big role in winning or losing a game, that is why the Sabre 15 comes with optimized 2.2mm travel scissor type keys, for that extra feel and precision. To top that off, the Sabre 15 features RGB backlight keyboard with 16.8 million colors (optional).”

Rounding out the updated lineup are a trio of thin-and-light professional models that are still very capable gaming machines, beginning with the AERO 14, a 19.9mm-thick (and 4.17 lb) aluminum design which features a QHD (2560x1440) IPS screen, GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, and 94.24Wh battery.

The P34 is indeed light for a gaming-ready laptop, with a weight of just 3.73 lbs. For its part the 15.6-inch P35 laptop is a very high-end option, regardless of its slim construction.

“The P35 comes in at an unbeatable 20.9mm thin and weighs just 2.3Kg. It is hard to believe that such a thin chassis has a GeForce GTX 1070 inside, outputting the same performance as the desktop GeForce GTX 1070, now on the go. GIGABYTE has swapped out the old 6th gen and opt for the latest 7th gen Core i7 processor, giving professionals multitasking capabilities like never before. The unparalleled graphical power of the GeForce GTX 1070 further drives the stunning 15.6” UHD 3840 x 2160 IPS display, professionals will definitely take advantage of such a high pixel density and high RGB accuracy display, stationed or mobile. The Swappable bay gives professionals the power to swap between Blu-ray drive or up to 2TB HDD of extra storage, providing that extra customization on the go.”

Pricing and availability information for the new laptops is not yet available.

Razer has announced Project Valerie, a radical concept for a triple-monitor gaming laptop described as "the world’s first gaming laptop capable of housing three individual G-SYNC displays". A picture is worth a thousand words, and there is just something about a laptop with three 17.3-inch 4K displays.

Project Valerie uses an automatic deployment mechanism designed by Razer. Each display mechanically slides out of the side of the main screen and adjusts into place, making it easy for users to deploy. With integrated multi-monitor support, users will no longer have to deal with the cable clutter from traditional desktop setups. The result is a clean gaming and working environment that’s just as easy to maintain.

Razer has released a video for Project Valerie:

Called a "proposed system" at this point, the Project Valerie notebook would be based on a 1.5 inch thick unibody aluminum chassis with a weight of under 12 lbs. Razer states that the notebook would be equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPU, and exceeds the minumum hardware requirements for VR. The design includes Razer’s Ultra-Low-Profile Mechanical switch keyboard, and the notebook would be cooled using a thermal system comprised of "custom-designed fan and dynamic heat exchangers pair(ed) with a vapor chamber to maximize heat dissipation".

ASUS has just announced the ZenFone 3 Zoom, which resides in the camera and battery life areas of their product stack. While we will discuss its performance below, this phone prides itself on a 5,000 mAh battery and two rear-facing cameras, which are paired for an interesting feature: optical zoom.

Instead of trying to fit a lens assembly into a smartphone that expands and contracts to zoom in and out, this phone switches between two cameras, one with a wide-angle lens, and the other with a telephoto one. Typically, cameras attempt to solve the “zoom” problem by including higher and higher megapixel sensors, which provides finer images but reduces low-light performance -- you have to acquire a signal from a smaller and smaller fraction of the photons that hit your sensor.

Going one step further, because their users will need to crop less of their photo, ASUS used a fairly large, but 12 megapixel sensor for each camera. This means that the pixels are fairly big, 1.4 microns, allowing them to gather more light. This should translate to good and relatively consistent low-light performance at either zoom level, which are 2.3x apart.

As for the battery? That’s a lot of power. The original ZenFone 3 had 2,600 mAh with the same SoC. The ZenFone 3 Zoom almost doubles that. ASUS claims 40 days of 4G standby, but I’m more curious how long it can play games and watch videos untethered. Update: It was quick, but I believe they said over eight hours of live video streaming on a single charge.

Being based on last year’s mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, it will perform like the base ZenFone 3, rather than the flagship ZenFone 3 Deluxe and its Snapdragon 820. Despite the chip’s GPU being listed at about a third of the performance of its bigger sibling, depending on clock rate, it is still capable of Vulkan and OpenGL ES 3.1 should ASUS ship a driver.

The ZenFone 3 Zoom is expected to be available in February, but prices and SKUs are TBD.

ASUS has just announced the ZenFone 3 AR, which implements both Google’s DayDream VR API as well as Google’s Tango AR platform. The former is designed for games, apps, and videos, allowing the user to block out their vision a headset that the phone is mounted into. Tango, on the other hand, was announced a couple of years ago. It creates a 3D representation of the space around the user, which is accessible to compatible apps.

The phone itself is built around a large, 5.7-inch, 1440p AMOLED display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. While this the same SoC that you would find in the already-released ZenFone 3 Deluxe’s high-end SKU, the ZenFone AR is expected to launch in Q2, which is makes the 821 the fastest chip that they could have possibly integrated. Also, ASUS claims that the Snapdragon 821 is designed with Tango in mind, with the API able to accelerate positional awareness using its DSP.

The ZenFone AR also contains 6GB of RAM, because why not. Update: The ASUS presentation just said 8GB, although the press release says 6GB. I'm guessing both options will be available.

It is expected to launch in Q2, but that typically varies greatly by region for ASUS products.

ASUS has announced the ASUSPRO B9440, which the company claims to be "the world’s lightest 14-inch business notebook" at just 2.31 lbs.

"The sleek B9440 is designed to be both stylish and practical, using an all-metal chassis crafted from magnesium alloy — a premium material that is lighter but more rigid than standard aluminum alloy. The ergonomic keyboard has an innovative tilting design that positions it perfectly for comfortable typing.

Like all ASUSPRO business notebooks, B9440 is designed to exceed military-grade durability standards. It also passes our extra-strict ASUSPRO reliability standards, undergoing a series of tough torture tests to ensure dependable operation in any environment.

The B9440 is equipped with the new 7th-gen Intel Core (Kaby Lake) i5 and i7 U-series processors optional Intel vPro support, along with up to 16 GB onboard LPDDR3 memory and up to 512 GB SSD storage, with security features including TPM 2.0 and a fingerprint sensor.

ASUS has refreshed their notebook and all-in-one (AiO) desktop lineup with the new 7th-generation Intel Core (Kaby Lake) processors, with models ranging from the ultra-thin UX330 to the 27-inch ZN270IE AiO.

The ZenBook UX330

The refreshed notebook lineup includes the 13.3-inch ZenBook models UX310 and UX330, and 15.6-inch ZenBook UX510. The convertible ZenBook Flip UX360UA and detachable Transformer Pro T304 have also been updated to Kaby Lake.

ZenBook Flip UX360

On the all-in-one side the refreshed models include Zen AiO Pro Z240IE and Zen AiO ZN241IC desktops, with a new model announced in the Zen AiO ZN270IE, a 27-inch (FHD) model which pairs a 7th-gen Core i7 processor with discrete NVIDIA graphics.

Zen AiO ZN270

Pricing and availability of the updated machines is as follows:

Available immediately are the ZenBook UX310UA ($699), ZenBook UX330UA ($749), and ZenBook UX510UW ($999). The ZenBook UX360UAK ($899) and Transformer Pro T304 ($999) will be available in May. Updated AiO desktops will be available in March, with the ZN241IC and ZN270IE priced at $999, and the Zen AIO Pro Z240IE at $1799.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc and ODG (Osterhout Design Group) have announced that the R-8 and R-9 smartglasses will be the first devices powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC. ODG is a developer of "mobile headworn computing and augmented reality technologies and products", and these new models leverage the reduced size and thermal requirements of the new Snapdragon 835 processor.

The R-8 smartglasses, seated next to a glass mug for scale

"The premium Snapdragon 835 processor was designed from the ground-up to support new and innovative products and experiences beyond mobile phones, and it’s great to see that the first announced Snapdragon 835 devices will be ODG’s smartglasses," said Raj Talluri, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Thermal dissipation on a heavy compute but small device is very difficult so higher power efficiency is a must. The Snapdragon 835 processor, with our unique SoC design expertise on a 10nm process node, enables ODG to meet their design goals and develop lighter, smaller and sleeker smartglasses that take advantage of the new processor’s superior performance and power efficiency."

The R-9 smartglasses

The Snapdragon-powered R-8 smartglasses are "lighter, smaller and sleeker than any other device in ODG’s portfolio", which should make their use a more attractive option for those interested in AR, VR, and Mixed Reality overlay capabilities. For their part the larger R-9 smartglasses are "based on ODG’s award-winning 50° FOV and 1080p Project Horizon platform". The company's previous smartglasses, the R-7, were powered by a Snapdragon 801 SoC.

Keep an eye out for reviews of new gaming laptops containing mobile versions of the GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti. These laptops should also be on sale soon, with a quote from NVIDIA suggesting prices will start at around $700 for a base model.

The price reflects the power of the GPU, you are not going to match a $2000 machine with a GTX 1080 in it, but then again there are many gamers who do not need such a powerful card. If your gaming machine is a current generation laptop with integrated graphics this will be a huge improvement and even a laptop with a discrete mid-range GPU from a previous generation is going to lag behind these new models. Of course, waiting to see what laptops based off of AMD's new Ryzen platform may be worth waiting for but for those hoping to upgrade soon, laptops with these cards installed are going to be worth looking at.

1080p gaming at 60fps will not be a problem, and for strategy games and online multiplayer entertainment such as LOL you should even be able to pump up the graphics settings. The cards will support the various GameWorks enhancements as well as other features such as Ansel.

The above example comes from The Verge, who spotted a 14" Dell laptop with the GTX 1050 already on sale at $800. If you want the best choice you should look to the 15.6" model, which offers the choice of a GTX 1050 or 1050 Ti, an i5-7300HQ or i7-7700HQ and a 512GB PCIe SSD.

The Predator 21 X was originally announced back in August, but today Acer is providing detailed specs, pricing and availability for the world's first curved-screen gaming notebook.

"As the world’s first notebook to offer a curved 21-inch IPS display (2560 x 1080 resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate), it delivers a truly immersive gaming experience, especially when combined with the notebook’s eye-tracking technology from Tobii. Taking PC gaming immersion to new depths, eye tracking lets gamers identify enemies, aim and take cover simply by gazing at objects on the screen in over 45 titles like Elite Dangerous, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and WATCH_DOGS 2. The curved screen also features NVIDIA G-SYNC technology, ensuring smooth and sharp gameplay."

The specifications are as outlandish as one might expect from 21-inch curved-screen gaming laptop: dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphic cards in SLI, a 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7820HK processor (overclockable, no less), 64GB of DDR4-2400 memory, and up to four 512GB solid state drives in RAID 0, among other things.

Going over the above specs it's clear that the Predator 21 X is not going to fall within most people's budget, but the actual number is still pretty staggering: Acer states that the Predator 21 X will be available in February, with prices starting at $8,999 in the USA.

"With 360° of versatility across five modes, unmatched security, and up to 16 hours and 30 minutes of battery life, the thin and light HP EliteBook x360 1030 is the perfect PC for highly mobile professionals. Wherever business or pleasure takes you, set a new benchmark for work and fun."

The optional HP Active Pen provides "a natural inking experience" on the Gorilla Glass-covered 13.3-inch display, which is available with a resolution of up to 3840x2160 (UHD). As to power, HP claims that this new EliteBook lasts up to 16.5 hours on a single charge with its 3-cell, 57 Wh battery.

“The ultra-chic Miix 720 Windows detachable includes the features needed to work smarter, combining an ultra-crisp 12-inch QHD+ display and precision touchpad-enabled keyboard with up to 7th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and Thunderbolt 3, the fastest port available on a PC today. When it’s time to hit the road – or your next meeting – you can simply remove the keyboard to instantly transform the Miix 720 into a feature-rich touchscreen tablet. Paired with a multifaceted Lenovo Active Pen 2, the Miix 720 is ideal for effortless note taking or bringing creative concepts to life.”

Processor options up to a 7th-generation Intel Core i7, memory up to 16GB, and storage up to a 1TB PCIe SSD make the Miix 720 stand out among the ultra-portable Windows options.

Lenovo still left room in the slim chassis for plenty of battery capacity, as they claim “more than 15 hours of battery life” from this new X1 Carbon, which is available in both the traditional “ThinkPad Black” and a new metallic silver color. Another new addition to the X1 Carbon is Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, with wireless options including LTE-A and WiGig.

Lenovo is announcing their 2017 ThinkPad lineup today, and on the convertible side of things the new ThinkPad X1 Yoga is “the only 14-inch notebook with an OLED screen”, and though that particular panel type is optional, having seen last year’s OLED model in person the pure blacks and infinite contrast make IPS options pale in comparison (literally).

"Also available in the new metallic silver, the updated ThinkPad X1 Yoga is flawlessly flexible and adapts to its users’ needs offering true multi-mode capability and can deliver stunning colors and absolute blacks on the only 14-inch notebook with an OLED screen. A redesigned rechargeable pen and improved ‘rise and fall' keyboard complete the improved experience."

The improved 'rise and fall' keyboard appears to operate differently from the original 'Lift 'n Lock' design, as the keys themselves (rather than a panel surrounding them) are raised and lowered depending on orientation of the Yoga's 2-in-1 design.

The specifications are very similar (with the exception of that OLED panel option) to the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which makes sense considering the X1 Yoga is essentially the convertible version of that notebook: